String of stars to fete Joni Mitchell at songwriters gala

A star-studded gala featuring James Taylor and Chaka Khan will usher folk singer Joni Mitchell into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in Toronto on Sunday night.

An assortment of singers will take the stage to pay tribute to the Alberta-born, Saskatchewan-raised Mitchell, as well as other inductees.

Taylor will sing Woodstock and Khan will do Help Me, while Canadian opera star Measha Brueggergosman will be delivering a version of Both Sides Now.They are three of five Mitchell songs to be inducted into the hall, the others being Big Yellow Taxi and You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio.

Brueggergosman, a classical soprano singer who grew up listening to Mitchell's music, credits Mitchell for teaching her "to value poetry in music."

"She taught me the importance of text, that words above all else are important. She is such an amazing poet in addition to writing unbelievable songs."

Mitchell became a folk singer in the mid-1960s and had her big break when she sold Both Sides Now to American singer Judy Collins in 1968.

During her career Mitchell branched out into experimentaljazz, captured five Grammys and was inducted into the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame in 1981.

Homage to Jean-Pierre Ferland

Francophone stars Isabelle Boulay, Laurence Jalbert and Mario Pelchat will each deliver an homage to Quebec icon Jean-Pierre Ferland, with French star Patrick Bruel also scheduled to participate, via a performance from Paris.

Other 2007 inductees include "Canada's Father of Country Music" Wilf Carter, and Broadway and film composer Raymond Egan.

Other tracks being honoured include Spinning Wheel, the David Clayton-Thomas song that has been recorded by more than 400 artists in 20 languages, andYou Were on My Mind by Sylvia Fricker (Tyson).

The ceremony will include the presentation of legacy awards to Canadian tenor Henry Burr and Canadian folk music impresario Sam Gesser.

Songs must be more than 25 years old to be considered for the hall of fame.

Also scheduled to take part in the celebration, the fourth induction ceremony for the hall,are Herbie Hancock, George Canyon, Michael Bubl, Emm Gryner and Corb Lund.

Hosted by CBC Radio's Andrew Craig and Radio-Canada's Sophie Durocher, the black-tie event will take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

CBC Radio will broadcast segments of the tribute gala, beginning with Sounds Like Canada on Radio One at 11 a.m. Monday,and as a two-hour special beginning at 8 p.m. Monday on Radio Two. A CBC-TV show about the gala will follow on March 5.